Timer for automobiles



Aug. 7, 1923. 1,464,383

M. FORDER TIMER FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed March 7; 1921 Milton F'order WITNESSES ATTORNEY INVENTOR Patented Aug. 7, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILTON FORDER, 0F THIEF RIVER FALLS, MTNNESOTA.

TIMER FOR AUTOMOBTLES.

Application filed March 17, 1921. Serial No. 453,082.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILTON Fononn. a citizen of the United States, residing at Thief River Falls, in the county of Pennington and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Timer for Automobiles, of which the following is a specifica the customary roller contact, and one which provides more, reliable engagement, thus materially reducing resistance at the contact and thereby causing the passage of larger current andobtaining at the spark splugs a more intense or fatter spark than before.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a casing with a circular series of contacts from which the current is distributed to the spark plugsin the usual mannor, the invention being confined to the movable contact or brush engaging the fixed con tacts of the timer. The brush comprises a helix of wire fitting snugly on the end of the timer shaft within the timer casing and the helix is made fast to the timer shaft with one end of the helix in trailing relation to the timer shaft, expanding therefrom and approaching the contacts embedded, as is customary, in a ring track within the casing. The outer or free end of the trailingcontact or brush is formedin a manner to bear upon the inner face of the track carrying the contacts, and also upon one side face thereof, thus giving an extended contact surface for the passage of the current.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing forming part of this specification, with the understandin however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing in the drawing, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing 1 1g. 1 is a rear face view of an automobile timer constructed in accordance with the in venti on.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of atimer' brush or wiper of the type shown in Fig. 1. Fig. is a face VIEW, of a terminal contact on the brush of the form shown in Figs. 1

and 2.

Fig. 4; is a view similar to Fig. 1, but provided with a brush or wiper comprising one piece of metal.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the'brush or wiper in Fig. 4c.

Referring to the drawingathere is shown a timer cover 1 with an internal annular track 2 of insulating material in which is partially embedded a clrcular series of contact plates" 3 equidistantly spaced "about the axis of the cover 1 and each connected to a binding post 41:, exposed on the exterior of the cover for the attachment of conductors 5 and leading to the induction coilunits of the ignition system, which latter is not shown.

The cover 1 is entered by a timer shaft 6 and on the shaft there is mounted a brush 7 designed toparticipate in rotary movenients of the timer shaft and to wipe over the contact plates 8 in wiping engagement therewith.

The brush 7 is formed with a helical coil 8, shown separately in Fig. 2, such coil being formed of wlre, preferably of round cross section. The helix 8 is a more or less closed to the axis of the helix, and then in trailing relation thereto, as shown at 13.

The terminal coiled portion 14 of the arm 12 is wrapped about a tongue 15 formed on a contact block or plate 16 as a continuation of the tongue 15, the coiled portion 1a being tightly wound about the tongue 15 and extended through the perforation 17 of the block 16 or more than one such perforation. tion of rotation and provided at the free The block 16 is of plate-like conformation with an extended edge 18 having a nose 19 projecting from one end 01 the edge 18 in substantially right angular relation thereto having both the edge 18 and tongue 10 where rising from the edge 18 suitably rounded, as shown at 20, so as to ride along the track 2 and over the faces of the plates or contacts 3 with the rounded edge of the tongue 19 hearing against one side :tace of the track and making contact with the exposed side edges of the contacts 3. This a'tfords both face and edge engagement between the contact plate 16 of the brush and the contact plates 3 of the track 2.

The helix 8, because of its shape, Wll]. elastically yield to pressure of the contact block 16 upon the timer track 2 and against the contact plates 3, and this yielding effect is participated in by the curved arm 12 so that as the shaft 6 is rotated, the edges 2O 01? the block 16 bear elastically upon the timer cover with such pressure as the elastic force generated by the rotation of the block 16 which the timer shalt will cause.

A similar effect is produced by the brush structure shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the structure of Figs. 1 and 4t with respect to the brush being similar except that the arm 13 terminates in a return loop 16 arranged to bear flat against the track 2 with the free end of the return loop 16 bent into a tongue 19 serving the same purpose. The brush in the structure of Figs. 4 and 5 designated by the reference numeral 16 is elastically pressed against the contact plates 3 with the tongue 1.9 bearing against the side of the track 2 and engaging the edges of the contact plates 3.

The collecting brush 16 is to be preferred to the return loop 16, which is made in one piece with the coil 8 and the arm 13, because it has greater wearing qualities and is more sturdy.

The advantages possessed by the structure o't Fig. 1 overbalance the disadvantage of the two-piece structure of Fig. 1, in that there is less liability ott breaking than occurs with the all-wire form of Fig. 4:.

hat is claimed is 2-- 1. In an automobile timer structure, a rotatable contact brush comprising a wire helix for attachment to the timer shaft torotate therewith and having a wire arm. in trailing relation to the helix in the direcend with a contact positioned to wipe over stationary timer contacts.

2. In an automobile timer structure, a circular series of substantially stationary contacts and a rotatable contact for successively engaging the stationary contacts and comprising a helix adapted to the timer shaft for rotation therewith and terminating in a contact or brush yieldingly connected to one end of the helix and at the other end in trailing relation. to the helix.

In an automobile timer structure, a rotatable contact brush comprising a wire helix for attachment to the timer shaft to rotate therewith, and having its end bent and extended lengthwise of the helix, then bent into a curved arm substantially radial to the axis of the helix, and then bent in trailing relation to the helix in the direction of rotation, and provided at the free end with a contact positioned to wipe over stationary timer contacts.

4:. In an automobile timer structure, a rotatable contact brush comprising a wire helix tor attachment to the timer shaft to rotate therewith, and having a wire arm in trailing relation to the helix in the direction of rotation. said arm being provided at its tree end with a coil extending radially inward. and a contact block seated and held within the coil on the free end of the arm, said. contact member being adapted to wipe over stationary timer contacts.

5. In an automobile timer structure, a circular series of substantially stationary contacts and a rotatable contact for successively engaging the stationary contacts and comprising a helix adapted to the timer shaft for rotation therewith and terminating in a contact yieldingly connected to one end of the helix and at the other end in trailing relation to the helix, said rotatable contact consisting of a block having an extended edge and a. nose projecting from one end at an angle thereto to engage both the inner tare and one side edge of each of the relatively stationary contacts, said rotatable contact being separately formed vfrom the helix and connected to and movable there with.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto a'tlixed my signature. '7

MILTON FORDER. 

